Stephen Cannerelli / The Post-StandardRichard Hubbard, owner of The Brewster Inn in Cazenovia, in the restaurant's wine cellar. It holds 14,000 bottles.

Cazenovia's Brewster Inn is the only restaurant within 50 miles of Syracuse to win Wine Spectator magazine's "two glass" honor for 2012, called the Best of Award of Excellence, for the quality and depth of its wine list.

Sixteen other restaurants in Central New York, including four at Turning Stone resort, won the magazine's single-glass distinction, or Award of Excellence.

The awards are announced in the magazine's August issue.

Worldwide, there were 2,842 single glass honorees. That award recognizes wine lists "that offer a well-chosen selection of quality producers, along with a thematic match to the menu in both price and style."

The two-glass awards, which had 878 winners worldwide, was "created to give special recognition to restaurants that clearly exceed the requirements of the Award of Excellence. These lists typically offer 400 or more selections, along with superior presentation, and display either vintage depth, with several vertical offerings of top wines, or excellent breadth across several wine regions."

The Brewster Inn consistently earned the single-glass honor for years and first achieved the two-glass level in 2009. Its cellar now has about 14,000 bottles, representing roughly 700 different wine selections. The magazine notes its strengths are wines from California, Italy and France.

"We still think it's a good investment," Brewster owner Richard Hubbard said of his cellar and his efforts to win Wine Spectator recognition.

While there are certainly high-end bottles on the list, the Brewster makes an effort to keep things affordable, including a 50 percent discount on some offerings on Wednesdays. Wine Spectator calls the Brewster's pricing "moderate."

The Brewster also has three certified sommeliers to help diners with their selections: Hubbard, beverage manager Kirk Gibson and newly hired Steve Gordon.

No local restaurants have ever won the three-glass honor, or the Grand Award, which went to just 72 restaurants this year.